Day 1 - Travel

We can't believe the final countdown for this vacation has gone from 20 months to a few weeks, down to days & hours and finally it's arrived!

Almost 3 weeks' parking at Pearson will be terribly expensive, so we've hired Sean, a great limo driver from Fenelon Falls, to pick up first Dan & Nadine then Sue & Alan.  We've managed to condense our packing to one large suitcase each, plus reasonable carry-ons.  Traffic to Toronto on this hot Friday night is very reasonable, and Sean is a good sport about stopping at Perkins' Restaurant for a ritual "last supper" before dropping us at the airport.

Check-in for the flight is uneventful, but it is weird to be boarding and departing at 2 AM.  Smooth flight of just under 15 hours, but it feels like we did nothing but eat and try (mostly unsuccessfully) to get some fitful sleep.  Alan & Dan watch "Good Morning Vietnam".

The electronic boards at Hong Kong international warn of a class 1 tropical typhoon in the area, but our pilot and flight crew don't seem too concerned, and the 2 hour leg to Ho Chi Minh city is marked by only mild turbulence.

Dan & Alan are really bummed out because there was no check of carry-on luggage departing customs, so they missed a chance to fly the new drone in SE Asia.  Forums online told sad tales of travelers getting drones confiscated coming in to Vietnamese airports, and the boys didn't want to take that chance.

We are met by a bubbly young Scenic guide named Luan who explains much about Vietnamese history and culture on the half-hour ride to the Hyatt.  At the hotel, we meet Duc who will be our representative for the duration of the vacation.  Our rooms are very comfortable and the entire hotel has a luxurious colonial ambiance.

A dip in the lovely pool helps revive us, and we don't mind at all when our swim and drinks are interrupted by almost an hour long vigorous rainstorm.

Reasoning that we will throw off our sleep pattern if we nap now, we get dressed and head out on the streets of the downtown metropolis.  Luan has told us the streets are quiet because this is Sunday, but we feel we are risking our lives dodging all the motorcycles and larger vehicles to cross the streets.  We venture to the riverfront but are a little disappointed that much of the promenade is blocked by plywood sheets painted with diagrams promising great results from a revitalization project.

Saigon riverfront

a young Vietnamese vespa driver

crossing the road can be intimidating

We wander on to the sprawling campus of a large 4-story building, and it takes us awhile to realize this is the main children's hospital.  The outdoor hallways are crowded with families sitting on the floor or pitching portable hammocks to be with their loved one, while the many rooms are jammed with hospital beds, patients, and families.  It is certainly much more reminiscent of hospitals in Uganda than those in the west.

Saigon children's hospital

Alan stays awake during the presentation by Duc only because Sue keeps poking him in the ribs every time he nods off.  Our group of four were only presented with a small number of free choice tours when we logged into our Scenic account many months ago, but the one tour we all were keen to do was the Vespa tour of the city which is scheduled for tomorrow AM.  Somehow, there was miscommunication, and we are scheduled instead for a meal at one of the fancy restaurants.  Duc can only promise to try to get us booked for the Vespa tour tomorrow.  This is a great disappointment, and we can only hope it's not a harbinger of future disappointments with the Scenic experience.

We gather with the other 25 people or so in our group after the presentation, and walk the short distance to the Hoa Tuc Vietnamese restaurant which provides a superb fixed choice meal of many small dishes.  After the walk back, it's quickly to bed for our very tired group.